An exclusive preview of The Closer, a new podcast from Project Brazen that takes you inside the deals that changed the world. To hear the rest of this episode, search for The Closer wherever you listen to podcasts.

Landmark deals can change everything. They can transform how we live. They can alter the course of the economy. The Closer asks: Who made these deals, and why?

This is a preview of episode one, which goes behind the scenes of the 2013 merger between American Airlines and US Airways. The deal created the world’s largest airline, but it also marked the ascent of one of the American labor movement’s most visible faces.

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Find out more at thecloser.fm